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Massachusetts And Connecticut Governors Differ on Immigration Actions, So Do Lawmakers

Jim Levulis
/
WAMC

Responding to a federal request, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has offered Camp Edwards on Cape Cod and Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee as two locations to house immigrant children. But, the offer is not sitting well with other lawmakers.Governor Patrick made the announcement during a press conference Friday morning, appearing very emotional.

“I believe that we will one day have to answer for our actions and our inactions,” said Patrick struggling to get the words out. “My faith teaches that if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him, but rather love him as yourself for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

Chicopee Mayor Richard Kos responded to the governor’s offer Friday afternoon, saying Westover should not be an option and the idea of having children stay on the base “makes no sense.” Officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will review the sites to see if they are suitable to house up to 1,000 children for about 35 days, according to Patrick. Standing next to the governor in Great Barrington Friday afternoon, fellow Democrat Congressman Richard Neal says having talked with Kos and others, he understands their concerns.

“I think the logistics there, having a lot of knowledge about the housing in particularly, because I put the money in for it, and it’s used,” Neal said. “It’s used every weekend. So in talking to [Brigadier] General [Steven D.] Vautrain today, we understand the nature of the problem. So there wasn’t any demagoguery as it related to the issue. I don’t think that Westover is the best proposal, but having said that I also think that the nation faces a significant humanitarian crisis and all that was suggested today was an assessment process.”

Patrick says there shouldn’t be any discussion around the decision to offer a small number of the more than 50,000 children waiting to be processed a place to stay temporarily.

“I think we have the capacity in every way including in our compassion to make that offer and to do so in good faith,” Patrick said Friday afternoon. 

Massachusetts House Minority Leader Bradley Jones is holding a summit at the Statehouse Thursday, inviting local and federal law enforcement to talk about the issue. The Republican from North Reading says the idea for the talk came about in June when he and fellow lawmakers heard reports of unaccompanied minors being flown into Hanscom Air Force Base. Jones disagrees with Patrick’s offer to house immigrants anywhere in Massachusetts.

“The first wave is going to facilitate the next wave, the next wave and the next wave,” Jones said Monday afternoon. “Is this the best way to try to address that or alleviate that? Or are there things that are going on in Central America that would be more helpful to try and help deal with there?”

State Representative Nick Boldyga of Southwick sits on the Legislature’s public safety and homeland security committee. The Republican says Massachusetts shouldn’t shelter undocumented immigrants.

“We don’t who they are,” Boldyga said. “It poses a health risk to them. It’s going to be expensive for us and dangerous. Ultimately we don’t know who these people and what’s going to happen to them no matter if it’s the commonwealth of Massachusetts or whatever other state takes them, there’s some serious risks here. We should be enforcing the current immigration laws. We are encouraging people to come here illegally knowing that they’re going to get shelter, that’s not going to do good for us or them.”

Earlier this month, Connecticut officials rejected a federal request to house immigrants in vacant buildings dating back to the 1930s at the state-owned Southbury Training School campus. Citing safety concerns, Governor Dannel Malloy said there are no suitable state properties to accommodate the children, but Connecticut will work to connect kids with any family in the state. Connecticut U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, who like Malloy is a Democrat, visited the border with Mexico on Friday. Stopping short of saying he disagrees with Malloy, Blumenthal says each state needs to decide if it can house children.

“I’m fighting for resources necessary, not only in Connecticut, but nationwide, so that they can be kept under safe, caring circumstances,” Blumenthal said. “The vast majority of them can be placed in homes with their parents or other relatives.”

The Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance is holding a rally Tuesday afternoon in New Haven to ask Governor Malloy to reconsider his decision. Meanwhile, the former Kenwood Academy in Albany has been ruled out as a possible site to house the children.

Jim is WAMC’s Associate News Director and hosts WAMC's flagship news programs: Midday Magazine, Northeast Report and Northeast Report Late Edition. Email: jlevulis@wamc.org
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